Nona the Ninth

This book is the third in the Locked Tomb series. These books are set in a universe run on the powers of necromancy. While there is some inter-galactic battle, the primary driver of the plot is the relationships and intrigue between the characters. The characters are so well written, often dark and also often hilariously sarcastic. In fact, the “twist” of this book is introducing a character who is sweet and naive (and really, really, delightfully weird). Like other books in this series, it took me a bit to get into this book, but once it got going I was hooked - and now that I'm finished I'll be thinking about it for the next few days.

If you are a sci-fi/fantasy reader and have not started this series yet, you really should. (Gideon the Ninth is the first in the series) The series is original and inventive and does a great job of balancing dark with a dose of humor. The richness and depth of this world is amazing... although it can sometimes drift into being too complicated. I definitely had to read this book with the synopsis of the first two books open on a wikipedia page. When the last book comes out (scheduled for later this year!) I will probably do a full re-read so I can keep the thread of who everyone is. That is the only (really minor) thing that keeps this from a full five stars.